City Of Blinding Lights
by The Essence Of Randomness
Summary: The Shadowhunters of the New York Conclave meet the Winchester brothers. Set a few months before City Of Bones and in between SPN 902 and 903.
1. Chapter 1: Fallen

**Chapter One: Fallen**

Jace Wayland stopped at the mouth of the alley, the point at which the small side street met the main road. "Alec! Izzy!" he called back. Nothing. He swore and ran into the alley, painfully aware that he was, at least for the moment, without backup. Vulnerable. The Demon he was chasing had stopped too, but took off again the moment it saw him coming. "Neeever going to catch usss!" It hissed, not unlike a snake. Jace closed the distance quickly, his heavy boots echoing loudly on the narrow walls of the alley. They were nearing the end of it now, and Jace realised that the alley here split off like a fork. And at the start of both prongs stood two others; both were tall, with black hair and uncannily similar features; both had their skin covered with black marks, and both were armed; Isabelle and Alec Lightwood. Isabelle was holding a long, golden whip in one hand and a short, curved dagger in the other, and Alec had a longsword, gripping the hilt in both hands. The Demon slowed to a halt and hissed again, a long tongue snaking from its mouth. It looked carefully from each of the people in its way. "Neeephillim...liiitle Nephillim!" It rasped. It was bent over like a hunchback, and seemed to dance nervously as it examined the two youngsters that had it trapped. Jace's laugh from behind it caused it to spin around, scanning him with its solid black eyes. "Thanks for the support guys; you really were very helpful back there." Jace said. Izzy, the girl, frowned. "Well if we'd been with you, this Demon here would've escaped down one of these." The grin vanished from Jace's face. "I'd have caught it. Eventually." He said. The other boy laughed. "Of course you would Jace."After the greetings they all turned their attention to the Demon who stood between them. "Leeet usss go Ssssshadowhunters." It hissed. "Or what?" Jace said, pulling a short dagger from his belt. It looked as if it were made of glass, delicate and beautiful. "Balthazar." He whispered to it. At the name the blade shot up, extending into a long, gleaming sword. It gave off a bright light, but no heat. The Demon hadn't replied. Jace sprang forward, fast - faster than any Human could move - and drove the blade into the shoulder of the Demon. It cried out and howled in pain, falling back against the damp brick wall behind it. Alec and Isabelle moved in, cutting off any means of escape for the Demon. Jace raised his sword again, ready to make the killing blow. "Sssstay your little Seraph Blade! Theeee Angels haaave fallen!" The Demon cried. Jace stopped and frowned. "What?" Now it was the Demon's turn to smirk, opening its mouth in a short grin that exposed its rotten, yellowing teeth. "What did you say?" Jace repeated, stabbing his sword into the Demon's stomach. It howled and thrashed again, but the blade kept it in place. "Theee Angels...haaave faalllen! The end issss coming foor youuu little Nephillim!" Jace looked at his friends. Izzy had gone bone white. Izzy, who was afraid of next to nothing and was the best young Shadowhunter anyone had ever met, until they met Jace, looked terrified. Alec had one arm around her for comfort, but Jace wasn't sure which of them needed comforting. "You guys don't buy any of this do you?" he said, forcing a smile, but it wasn't reciprocated. They both clearly did. The Demon started again, howling about how the Angels had fallen, but Jace, fed up, whirled around and swung Balthazar in a low, long arc, slicing the Demon's head clean from its neck. "That's enough of that." He growled.

Dean Winchester slammed on the brakes and the Impala came to a halt, the tires screeching on the worn-out concrete beneath them. His brother, Sam, was thrown forward, his coffee flying out of his hands and through the passenger side window. "Well at least you didn't get any on the car." Dean said, clapping Sam on the back and opening the door. They walked into the grotty old hotel, the front doors creaking disconcertingly as they opened and closed. The reception was very bland, with just a white wooden desk, a dying plant in one corner, and not very much else. There was an elevator across the room from the entrance, and another set of doors beside that. Behind the desk sat a young girl, no more than twenty. She had long blonde hair that fell over her shoulders and big blue eyes that looked very bored. Dean sauntered up to the desk. "Room for two...although if you'd like to come visit us and make it a room for three..." He said. Sam sighed loudly from behind him. "I'm sorry about him..." The girl just laughed and turned to the wall of keys behind her. "It's okay, when you came in I assumed you were...together...you've proven me wrong...creepily." Dean glared at Sam. "Why does everyone always think that?" He said. "Don't worry, you usually start hitting on them within five minutes so they know you're not gay, just a pervert." The girl turned around and handed them a key. Dean took it and stalked off towards the elevator, leaving Sam to smile weakly at the girl, mutter a "thanks," and hurry off after his brother.

Their room was suitably bland, just like most of the places they stayed. It had two beds, a small TV on a chest of draws, and a table with a single chair. "So what're we looking for here Dean?" Sam asked, choosing one bed for himself and sitting down. "A Demon...or more. A group of hunters dad knew gets killed here, slaughtered by the sounds of it. Not much I know that could do in a group of hunters like that, you?" Dean shot a glance at Sam, who had taken out his M9 pistol and was cleaning it. "Well...there are Angels, Leviathans, God, the Horsemen, Reapers...and Demons." He said. "On that list the Demons are fairly low." "But they're also far and away the most common." Dean pointed out. "Anyway, where do we look first?" Sam asked, putting his gun away and standing up. "There's a facility on East 12th Street, a few blocks from here. The last place they were seen. It's the only lead we've got." Dean got up too, and within five minutes they were back in the Impala and leaving the car park in which theirs had been the only car.

Jace, Alec and Izzy made the short walk back to the Institute in silence. Jace opened the door and stood aside. "After you." He smiled broadly. Alec and Isabelle stepped in without speaking to him and he had to run to catch up with them before they got to the elevator that took them up to the rest of the building. Alec slammed the grate shut behind them after Jace had stepped in. "Guys, what in the Angel's name is wrong with you?" Jace said. "The Angels have fallen. It's what the Demon said." Isabelle replied, no heart in her words. "You don't believe it do you?" Jace said, looking from Alec to Izzy and back again. "You do? Guys, they're Angels...they're absolute...they're powerful...they're...they can't have fallen. Not all of them." Alec looked at Jace sadly. "Lucifer fell." Was all he said. The conversation was, mercifully, cut short as the elevator rattled to a stop. Alec yanked the grate open and they all got out. Waiting to greet them was Church the cat, the grey Persian with the squashed nose. "Hodge." Jace said to the cat. He rolled over and meowed at them before leisurely walking off down the corridor. They followed until Church stopped outside the door to the library. He meowed again and Jace gave him a quick scratch behind the ears as Alec and Izzy went in. Hodge was sitting in his chair behind his desk, looking not unlike a wooden statue. A raven was perched on his shoulder. "Hodge?" Alec called, the three of them walking over to him. "Ah...did you kill that Demon?" Hodge asked. "Yes...but..." Alec started, but faltered, leaving Jace to pick up the sentence. "...but before it died, it decided to tell us that the Angels had fallen. Stupid right?" Jace said, forcing a smile. Hodge had gone pale. He stammered a few times before starting. "Y-y-yes...of course. The Angels couldn't have..." But they never found out what the Angels couldn't have done, because he trailed off. "See! Alec? Izzy? Demons lie, it's what they do! They're Demons!" Jace said exasperatedly, throwing his arms out wide. Alec managed an awkward smile. "Maybe you're right. At least I hope, for all our sakes, you're right." And with that he turned on his heel and left the room, closely followed by his sister. "You know this is too dangerous to ignore, right?" Hodge said to Jace once the others were out of earshot. "I know." Jace replied, pulling out his stele – a short, wooden stick type object that worked like a pen, and was what Shadowhunters used to draw on the marks that covered their skin - and drawing a large pentagram on the floor in front of Hodge's desk. Hodge walked around it, lighting and putting a candle at each of the five points of the star. He walked over to one of the long shelves of books and picked a book off seemingly at random. Then he stood in front of the pentagram, opened the book, and began chanting in an ancient, long dead language. Jace drew another Seraph Blade from his belt and whispered, "Uriel," to it, causing the blade to spring forth in a gleaming shower of light.

Hodge kept chanting, and the flames of the candles began to grow, burning brighter and brighter. The other lights in the library flickered and died almost at the same time, the only light now coming from Jace's sword and the candles. A noise like wind rushing through trees could be heard, followed by a low rumble. Hodge stopped chanting, and the entirety of the pentagram was engulfed in a column of red smoke that reached from the floor to the ceiling. It swirled and hissed, slowly solidifying into what eventually became the shape of a man. He was short, wearing a black suit and slightly balding. He had unkempt facial hair and his suit was dusty and creased. "Shadowhunters. To what do I owe the pleasure?" The Demon said. "Are you the Demon Crowley?" Hodge demanded. "I am. Now I repeat, what do you want?" Crowley replied. "We just killed one of your little friends and he had something to tell us. We want you to clarify." Jace said. Crowley turned to face him as if he'd only just noticed him. "And what, pray tell, was that?" "He said that the Angels had fallen. That Heaven had emptied." A smile spread across the Demon's face. "I can answer that question for you." He said. "But I will like something in return." Hodge looked taken aback, but kept his composure. "Speak your terms, Demon." "I'm not actually here. I'm just a projection because, unfortunately, I'm currently trapped somewhere else, instead of this blasted pentagram. Somewhere not that far from you actually. Free me, and I'll tell you what you want to know." "Why should we do that? There are plenty of other Demons out there that might know." Jace asked. Crowley smirked. "There are, but I am the King of Hell! If I order them not to, you won't wring a thing out of them. So, do we have a deal?" "Deal!" Said Isabelle, who had just entered the room. "Izzy?" Jace gawped. "You shouldn't have seen this." "Seen what? You two summoning the King of Hell? It's a deal." She said, none of the terror that she'd previously been gripped by still holding. "East 12th Street. The trunk of a Chevy Impala." Crowley said, before vanishing. "Izzy, do you have any idea what you just did?" Hodge asked, turning to face her. "Yes. I just agreed to save this Demon so we could find out what we need to know." She said. Jace beamed at her. "A splendid plan!" But Hodge didn't seem as optimistic. "We know where the King of Hell is now children. I should call the Clave, let them deal with this." He said. Jace and Isabelle looked dumbstruck. "They'll kill him!" Izzy gasped. "And wouldn't that be good? With their King dead, maybe the Demons will lose all structure? Maybe we can actually turn the tide of this war." Hodge said thoughtfully. Jace glared at him, before turning on his heel and storming from the room, his last words echoing in Hodge's ears; "If the Angels truly have fallen, then we've already lost."


	2. Chapter 2: Hunters

**Chapter Two: Hunters**

Dean stopped the car and looked outside. They'd pulled up beside what looked to be a normal, average office block. Dean shrugged. They both got out and walked around to the boot. "Still in there Crowley?" Dean said, knocking on the hatch. He opened the trunk to see Crowley was well and truly still there. "I thought so, you little bastard." He said, grabbing two shotguns and handing one to Sam, them slamming it shut again. "Let's go." Sam tried the handle, but the doors to the building were locked tight. Dean drew his nickel plated M1911 and fired a shot into the lock. There was sound of metal on metal, and the lock shattered. They entered. The first thing they were met with was an overwhelming smell. "Sulphur." Said Dean. Sam sniffed the air for a moment. "And something else too, I can't place it." Dean just shrugged. "I'm sure we'll find out." He said. "I'm not sure we want to." Sam replied. They were in a small room, with four doors leading off it. The room was bare, almost completely, the only feature being a small light bulb that hung from the ceiling precariously. "Let's see what's behind door number one..." Said Dean, kicking in the first door and walking through it, his gun trained forward while Sam watched their backs. The smell of something else was stronger here. And they knew why. In a corner was a pile of dead bodies. "Is that them?" Sam asked. Dean opened his mouth to reply, but someone else beat him to it. "It's about to be you, buttercup." The Demon that had just entered the room was huge, nearly eight foot, taller even than Sam. They could see there were others waiting outside in the hall, but so far only this one hand entered the room. They fired as one and the Demon reeled back, hissing as the salt rounds struck it. Dean pulled out a knife with a serrated back edge, ornate wooden handle, and runes going down the blade, and lunged toward the Demon, but it was ready, catching him as he swung the blade and punching him hard in the face. Dean fell back, his vision swimming. Sam fired his shotgun again and the Demon fell back from Dean, who was staggering around like a drunk. "Dean!" Sam called, but too late, as another pair of Demons pounced on his brother. Sam didn't have a chance to help Dean for the first Demon was back, lumbering towards him. Sam fired three shots in quick succession, and took advantage of the brief respite to drop the shotgun and pull out his own sword, a short dagger that looked like it was made of a silvery glass. He stabbed it forward, plunging it into the Demon's chest. It glowed from the inside, as if a liquid light source was flowing through its veins, and collapsed to the floor, its features frozen in a terrible scream. Sam glanced over to where Dean was struggling with the other two Demons. Sam watched as Dean slashed his knife across one Demon's neck and it glowed like the one he had killed, before falling back. But the other Demon was too quick. It grabbed the knife and wrenched it from Dean's grip, throwing it to the floor behind him, and set about delivering a series of vicious punches. Sam crossed the room quickly, in less than a few steps, and drove his Angelic sword into the spine of the Demon that was beating Dean. It cried out, glowed, and died, falling into a heap on the floor, along with the other two Demons. "You think that was all of them?" Sam asked. "Who knows? This was just one room."

"I still can't believe I let you two drag me into this." Alec said, for the fifth or sixth time since they'd left the Institute. "We didn't make you come, Hodge did." Jace reminded him. "Which he wouldn't have done if you hadn't summoned a Demon!" Alec sighed. Isabelle slapped her brother on the back. "You can stay here if you want, we'll go and get this Demon and pick you up on the way back." She said, gesturing to a bin they'd just passed. Alec shook his head. "I'm the oldest. I'm coming." Jace laughed at this. "Of course you are Alec, I need my parabatai!" the three of them lapsed into silence as they neared their destination. Jace knew this shouldn't be a combat mission, but there was a part of him that hoped it would be, that being the part of him that came armed to the teeth with Seraph Blades and throwing daggers, as well as a pistol he took from a mugger one night that none of the others knew about. Alec had brought a Seraph Blade, and a bow and arrow, while Isabelle had a Seraph Blade and her electrum whip that was coiled up her arm like a series of bracelets. It was late now, and the moon was high in the sky, breaking through the clouds at regular intervals to bathe them in its eerie glow. "East 12th Street! Here we are!" Jace declared, pointing up at a road sign. "What was it we were supposed to be looking for?" Alec asked. "A Chevrolet Impala." Jace replied. And they all stopped. The car was parked merely a hundred yards from them, outside an average office block. "Thinking about this, aren't we stealing? Stealing from kidnappers, granted, but kidnappers capable of capturing the King of Hell? Is that really a good idea?" Alec asked. "Probably not. But we're going to do it anyway." Jace replied, a glint in his eye. They had reached the car now, and Alec pulled out his stele. He bent over the car and began scratching an opening rune into the keyhole of the trunk. And an alarm went off, blowing the silence of the street open in a cacophony of wails. The doors to the offices sprang open and two men burst out. "My baby!" One of them cried out. He was shorter, as was his dirty brown hair, and the other man was tall, nearly seven feet tall in fact, with longer hair that didn't quite reach his shoulders. And they were both armed. "My baby!" The shorter man cried again, running towards the car. Jace, Alec and Isabelle had been deadly still, not daring to move, just watching what happened. "Hey, you three!" The taller man shouted, charging towards them. "Jace!" Alec cried, turning to run, but Jace wasn't having any of it. He stood his ground, grabbing a Seraph Blade from his belt and naming it "Zachariah". Jace stabbed forward with the sword even as it still extended. And then he stopped in his tracks. The tall man was holding a Seraph Blade. "Where did you get that?" Jace barked, pointing his sword at the man. Alec had strung an arrow to his bow, and was aiming at the tall man, and Izzy was doing the same with her whip. "I think the better question is what were you doing trying to break into our car?" The tall man asked. Even though they outnumbered them, the two men were older and stronger, and they had guns. Jace was confident they could win, but Alec and Izzy were unsure. "D'you have any idea who you have in that trunk?" Alec asked. "D'you have any?" The man replied. "Sam?" the other man called, coming round to the back of the car and standing beside his friend. "Dean...they came here...for Crowley?" Dean gave Sam a look that said he was mad. "Crowley? What are you kids?" He asked. Jace, who was still holding his Seraph Blade and very much ready for a fight, opened his mouth to reply, but he was cut off as the windows of the office block shattered and black smoke began pouring out of each one. Dean swore and ran to the car, getting in hastily. "Get in the car!" He ordered. Jace probably would have stayed to fight, but with Sam, Alec and Izzy hurriedly bundling into the Impala around him, he thought better of it.

Dean slammed his foot down onto the accelerator and they shot off, tearing away from the offices, the plumes and trails of black smoke still hot on their heels. "Can anyone count how many there are?" He called back. None of them could. Dean swore and span the wheel as they hit a turn, the tires screaming but hugging the road still. The smoke behind them was getting thicker, as if it was drawing in all the light from around it and replacing it with shadow. "Sammy! Get these bastards off of us!" Dean cried, still struggling to keep the car under control as they fled. Sam picked a bottle from the floor and held it out of the window, taking the cap off and letting the contents spray back across the Demons. "What was that?" Izzy cried. "Holy water. Good idea!" Jace said with a startled cry of realisation. He pulled out his own bottle of water and opened it, letting it spill back into the chasing smoke. The clouds dissipated somewhat, becoming much thinner, but still very chasing them. "This is ridiculous! We're never going to escape them like this." Jace shouted. "You're right." Dean admitted, braking hard and pulling into an alley. The Demons that were left overshot the entrance, buying them a few seconds at most. They all got out of the car and Sam began pouring salt in a thick circle around them. "What in the Angel's name are you doing?" Alec demanded. "Salt barrier. Stops Demons." Sam replied shortly. "That's preposterous!" Alec sighed, turning back to the car. The Demons had caught up now, and were flying with great speed towards them down the alley. Sam finished the salt line and retreated back into the centre of circle with the others. The Demons sped towards them, showing no sign of slowing before they hit the salt barrier. The smoke was thrown backwards as if it had hit an invisible wall, but the billowing, thick masses still swirled all around. Even if the Demons couldn't get in, they still couldn't get out. "Well, what the hell do we do now?" Isabelle asked, staring out at the smoke. "We're trapped. And they can lay siege to us forever, but we're going to have to get out sooner or later." Jace replied. "Sam, we got any more holy water?" Dean asked. Sam shook his head. "Then it's a god job we've got some leverage, isn't it." Dean said, walking around to the back of the car. "First things first, names. I'm Dean, this is my brother Sam. And you are?" "Name's Jace, it's your honour. That's Alec and Isabelle Lightwood." Said Jace quickly. "Okay. You..." Dean pointed at Jace. "...help me with this, Sam, watch our backs." Sam and Jace nodded, the former drawing his Angel sword again. "You realise you're using it wrong, right?" Izzy said to Sam. "I am?" he replied, confused. "Yes. You've got to give it a name. Watch..." She drew her own Seraph Blade and said loudly: "Israfel." The blade sprang up, gleaming with an Angelic glow. Sam glanced at the blade in his hand, held it up to his face, and said: "Gabriel!" Even though he'd just seen Isabelle do it, he was still surprised when the blade exploded up, light erupting from it like a star. Dean unlocked the trunk and it sprang open. Crowley sat inside, glaring up at them, his wrists handcuffed together and tape around his mouth. Dean and Jace each took hold of two limbs and lifted the Demon out, dumping him unceremoniously onto the floor. Dean leant down and ripped off the tape. "Your boot smells of cat piss." Crowley exclaimed as Jace helped him to his feet. "Right," Dean shouted, addressing the swirling Demonic smoky masses, "we've got your King...so back off or I'm putting this knife between his shoulder blades." The Demons outside looked as if they were about to disperse, but then came back again with a vengeance. Dean held up the knife and cut Crowley's arm. The wound crackled and glowed red for a few seconds as the Demon squirmed. "I mean it!" This time the Demons did disperse, but only to form a sort of archway in front of Dean. Out of it stepped a Demon. It was tall, with solid white eyes where its pupils and irises should have been. The Demon's vessel was topless, and one of its hands had been replaced by a hook. Its chest was covered in scars and marks, not unlike those of the Shadowhunters. "Kill him." It said, laughing. Dean sighed and let go of Crowley, who proceeded to rush to the salt barrier and glare at the Demon. "I am your King!" he barked. "Get me out of here and kill these apes!" The Demon just laughed again and shook its head. "No. You won't be the King for much longer. There's a regime change coming. Long live the Queen." It said. "Queen? There is no...Abbadon!" he exclaimed. "That traitorous whore! I'll rip her limb from limb...I'll have her heart on a silver platter...I'll," Crowley was interrupted as the other Demon cleared its throat. "You'll do nothing. Because at the moment, you're trapped between a rock..." it nodded at Dean and the others. "...and a hard place." It finished, waving its hands at itself. "And as for your little salt barrier..." The Demon said, gesturing behind it. Another Demon advanced, this one carrying a leaf blower. "I love these little Human inventions." It smirked as the leaf-blower Demon pulled the cord, whirring the machine into life. The salt line was blasted away almost instantly, and the Demons surged forward, taking on corporeal form as they attacked.

Dean stabbed out with the knife, burying it in the throat of the nearest Demon. He looked around to see Sam slashing wildly at any Demons around him, Alec standing on the roof of the car firing arrows into the Demons, Isabelle laying about her with her whip, taking off wrists and ankles. And Jace...Jace was cutting a vicious swathe through the crowds, fighting like a man possessed. Demon after Demon fell before his blade, his movements faster than any Dean had ever seen. While Izzy was merely taking off limbs, Jace was striking fatal blows with each swing of his Seraph Blade. Crowley was waving his hands, destroying any approaching Demons with just his mind and a flick of his wrist. The hunters were holding their own, but for every Demon they killed two more would take its place. "This is getting us nowhere!" Dean said, though no one could hear over the noise of the battle, and fought through the crowd until he reached Sam. After dispatching another Demon he held onto his brother and looked him in the eye. "Help!" Sam looked bemused for a few seconds, before he disappeared. His body was still there, but Sam was not in control. "Cover your eyes!" The other occupant of Sam's body declared, raising his arms, palms outward. Dean did as asked, as did Alec, Crowley and Izzy, but Jace did not. He was too busy hacking apart anything that he came across to hear, and he had almost reached the Demon leader. The last Demon separating them fell, and Jace lunged forward, stabbing forward with two Seraph Blades. The Demon raised its hook and parried the blades, dragging them down to the ground, and punched Jace, sending him sprawling backwards.

And then came the blinding flash of white light. For a few seconds everything was white, and then the air cleared. When Jace came to his senses again, he saw that all the Demons, with the exception of Crowley, were gone. Sam was still standing, his eyes glowing with the same glow that emanated from Seraph Blades. "The answer to your question is yes, Shadowhunters." He said. Jace, Alec and Isabelle gawped at him. "Is that...?" Isabelle started, but didn't finish, too busy staring at Sam. "An Angel." Jace finished for her. "Yes. I am the Angel Ezekiel." He said. It was Sam's body, but clearly not Sam. Ezekiel spoke more slowly, and seemed just more awkward with the body in general, as if he wasn't used to it. "This is just a Human vessel." Said Ezekiel. "And Sam just keeps you in there...in case he ever needs a sudden deus ex machina?" Jace asked, sheathing his swords. "Sam doesn't know he's in there. And if any of you try and tell him. I'll kill you." Dean said gruffly. They could tell from the tone of his voice that he meant every word. "Zeke?" Dean said, turning to the Angel. Ezekiel nodded and shut his eyes, then collapsed. Jace, Alec and Isabelle started forward, but Dean waved them off. "No. He'll be fine, this always happens." The Shadowhunters had spent all their lives praying to one Angel in particular, it never occurred to them that they would actually meet an Angel, let alone one that was not Raziel. "As for you..." Dean said, turning to Crowley, who was standing by the back of the Impala. "...you didn't try to escape?" He asked. The Demon's mouth curled down at the edges. "I would have if I could, squirrel. Shotgun." Crowley said. The last word sounded alien in his mouth. "What?" Dean raised his eyebrows. "Shotgun. It's what you people say to claim the front seat isn't it?" Crowley replied, his slight frown replaced by a smirk. "And what with Moose not much for company right now anyway..." he gestured down at Sam, who was unconscious on the floor. "Nice try Crowley. But you're staying there in the trunk where I know you won't be going anywhere." Dean said, clearly enjoying his chance to toy with Crowley. "Anyway, we need to have some words, don't we?" Dean looked at three Shadowhunters before him, though he didn't know what they were at the time. "Not here. The Institute...can you drive us?" Alec said. "Give me directions, sure." Dean nodded. "Someone help me get Sam into the car..."


	3. Chapter 3: The Institute

**Chapter Three: The Institute**

"Here, this is it!" Alec said, prompting Dean to bring the Impala to a halt outside what he assumed must be the Institute. They had stopped in front of a large iron gate, which opened onto a wide garden, a path running down the middle to the double doors that lead into the Institute. It was essentially a massive church, with a towering glass dome at the top. "What is this place?" Dean asked, stepping out of the car. "Home." Jace replied almost absent-mindedly, staring up at the church. Dragging Sam, Dean followed Jace, Alec, and Isabelle into the Institute and up an elevator, at the top of which they found themselves met by Church the cat. Jace leant down and gave the chubby grey Persian a stroke behind the ears. "Where's Hodge?" he said. The cat meowed indignantly, as if it wanted more petting in return for that information, but turned and padded off down the corridor anyway.

Hodge, as it turned out, was sitting in the library behind his desk, in almost the exact same position that he'd been in nearly four hours earlier. "Well? What happened? And who are these...men?" Hodge asked, springing up from his desk and looking down at the others. Jace began a quick recount of the evening's events, with sporadic input from Alec. Hodge sighed slightly and lowered himself back into his chair, as if he were becoming a part of it again. "Okay, okay. Isabelle, show them to two of the spare rooms; Jace, Alec, please stay a moment, I should like to have a word with the two of you." He said. Izzy gestured for Dean to follow her but, seeing that he was struggling to carry Sam, moved to the other side and took Sam's arm, putting it around her shoulder and lifting him up. "You're strong." Dean noted. "I'm a Shadowhunter. I have to be." Was her reply, "when you're out hunting Demons from the age of ten or eleven you have to be strong." She said. "I know." Dean replied, his memories lapsing into his childhood. "I tried so hard to protect my brother from all of this, y'know? This was never the life I wanted for him." He said. Now it was Izzy's turn to come back with a cryptic, "I know," as her thoughts turned to her youngest brother Max, who was currently in Idris with her parents. "So is that creepy old guy, like, your dad?" Dean asked, secretly hoping he wasn't. Isabelle laughed. "What, Hodge? Oh lord no, he's just our tutor! Our parents are away at a meeting of the Clave, in Alicante." She smiled. Dean frowned. "Clave? Alicante?" Isabelle shook her head, her long black hair flying. "Oh I'm sorry, I keep forgetting you're not...one of us." She said, launching into an explanation of the Clave and what and where Alicante was. "So, your parents are pretty important people then?" Dean asked. Izzy nodded. "They're the heads of the New York Institute and by extension the New York Conclave..." And this lead to her having to tell Dean what the difference between the Conclave and the Clave was, and the way different countries had different names for the Conclave. "In Britain it's called an Enclave." She told him.

"Ah, here we are!" She exclaimed, letting go of Sam to open the door to their left. It led into a room that was not exactly spacious, but didn't feel small either. It was plainly furnished, with just a double, four poster bed, a small bookshelf, and a bell hanging by the bed. Another door led into what Dean assumed must have been the toilet. "This is Sam's room." She said, motioning to Dean, who laid Sam down on the bed. "Yours is across the hall. I can show you to it, if you want?" She said. Dean was about to tell her he'd be fine on his own, but, looking at her now, he had a change of heart. She was wearing her usual hunting gear, but that just happened to be a short leather miniskirt, showing a lot of her leg, black stiletto-heeled boots, and a black v-neck vest top cut away just beside her cleavage. Her arms were dotted with the same swirling marks and patterns that adorned her brother's, and she was tall. Even without the heels she'd have been tall for her age, but with them she was nearly Dean's height. "Uh...yeah, okay, thanks." Dean stammered, following Izzy out of the room and across the short hall into another room that was virtually identical. He followed her in and looked around. Izzy stood by the door, watching as Dean explored the room. He turned back and walked over to her. "Uh, thanks, this is great." He said, noticing she'd moved slightly closer to him. She reached one hand behind and shut the door, then edged closer to him and leant into him. The next thing he knew she was kissing him and he was kissing her back, her arms holding onto his waist as his slid around her body and pulled her in close, gripping her back low. Her mouth edged hers open and she kissed him deeply, moving him backwards as they kissed, until she had him by the bed. She pushed him down, climbing on top of him, leaning in and kissing him again. Her delicate hands traced their way from his chest down to his waist, feeling the outline of his muscles rippling under his shirt, and found the bottom of the shirt. Still kissing him, she began to pull it off.

Sam awoke to the sound of birds outside. His eyes snapped open and immediately began to take in his surroundings. He was in an adequately sized room, lying, still in the clothes of the day before, in the middle of a large, four poster bed. Beside him was a small bookshelf. The walls were covered in tapestries, or, more accurately, a single tapestry, repeated. It showed an Angel, or what Sam assumed was an Angel, rising out of a lake that reflected like a mirror, carrying a sword in one hand and a cup in the other. He felt about his person. His Angel Blade was gone, but he still had his pistol. He released the catch and let the magazine slide out so he could check the ammo, then pushed it back into place. He moved over to the door and opened it, scanning the corridor with his gun as he emerged. Sam quickly brought his gun to bear and aimed as he saw someone coming down the corridor. "Alec?" Sam said, blinking, but not lowering his gun. "Woah, woah, Sam, right? You can...uh, put the gun down." Alec said, waving his hands cautiously. "Where am I?" Sam asked, lowering his aim slightly. "This is the Institute...it's our home. Look do we have to do this here? Let me take you to the library, everyone's up now anyway, it's like ten o'clock." Alec smiled slightly and turned to walk away, but Sam didn't move. "Where's my brother?" He asked. Alec laughed. "Good question, I just so happen to have lost my sister. But Dean is in there..." he gestured his thumb towards the door opposite the one Sam had come from, "I presume he'll get up when he wakes up. You gonna come with me or just wander around aimlessly?" Sam sighed and finally conceded, following Alec down the hall.

They had only gone a few feet however, when a door opened behind them. Sam and Alec both span around instinctively, but only Sam raised a weapon. Alec felt safe here, in the Institute. It was about the only place he did feel safe. But that didn't lessen his surprise or anger when Isabelle came staggering out of Dean's room, only a towel wrapped around her, her long black hair matted and untidy, falling over her face. The three of them stopped in their tracks. "Shit." Isabelle cried, hurrying back into the bedroom and slamming the door loudly behind her. Alec, who had been frozen, looking nothing more than confused, burst into life with a sudden wave of realisation that contorted his face into a look of immense rage. He cried out with a wave of curses and threw himself at the door, banging loudly on it and shouting his sister's name. "Isabelle! Open this door!" Alec bellowed, banging his fists on the wood. Sam stood behind him, pistol still held aloft, unsure what to do. Thankfully he was saved from having to anything when Jace appeared from the end of the corridor and strutted down towards them, no sense of urgency about him. "So this is where the drama's happening eh?" He said. Alec paused his attack on the door to look at Jace. "You don't know what he's done!" He declared. Jace smirked. "Isabelle? A new man, and a mundane at that? And he's significantly older? I think I can guess." Jace was perfectly calm, if not a little entertained by the whole matter, his humour acting as the perfect foil to Alec's anger. Still seething, Alec gave up on Jace and turned back to the door. He wasn't armed, but he still had his stele, which he took out now and began drawing a rune onto the door, black lines flowing from it like ink from a pen. Once he was finished he jammed the stele back into his pocket and turned the handle. If he was surprised when the door swung open freely, he didn't show it.

Dean awoke with a start, his ears immediately picking out an angry banging on his door. Izzy was leaning back against it, forcing it shut. She was just wearing a towel that had been hastily wrapped around her, and her clothes were strewn across the floor. He swore, jumping up and hastily pulling on his boxers. Alec's voice came muffled, but still audible, into the room. Dean swore again. "I've locked it..." Izzy panted, still leaning against the door. "Go in there and get dressed." Dean pointed towards the toilet, and Isabelle gathered up her clothes and hurried in, as if it would offer her sanctuary from her brother. She'd only been gone a few seconds when the door swung open and Alec burst in, flinging himself at Dean, hands clutching at his throat. Jace and Sam followed Alec, and promptly began pulling him off of Dean. "Let me go!" Alec snarled, arms still flailing, aiming for Dean. Jace let go, but Sam kept a tight grip. Dean stood up. "Alec, look kid, it wasn't my-" Alec had broken free of Sam and lunged forward, catching Dean's jaw with a mad punch. "Right, that's it!" He replied, wiping the blood from his lip. Alec pushed forward, but Dean retaliated with a barrage of punches. Alec was smaller and, despite his marks, weaker, and he fell back, blood flying from his mouth and nose. Dean moved again, throwing an uppercut that sent Alec crashing to the floor. Sam caught his brother and held him back. "Dean! He's done!" He said. But Alec wasn't done. He was already up and coming at Dean again, but they were all stopped as Hodge appeared at the door and cleared his throat. "I don't want to know what is going on here. Jace, take Alec back to his room and give him an iratze. Sam, feel free to tend to your brother in whatever way you usually see fit. I want to see all of you in the library in ten minutes. We have much to discuss." And with that he was gone, not a single further word uttered. Silently, Jace lead Alec from the room and off down the corridor. "I can't believe she'd do this." Alec said morosely, staring at the floor. Jace clapped his parabatai's shoulder. "Faeries, ghosts, mundanes, I'm starting to wonder if you've met your sister." Alec shrugged Jace's hand away. "But he's like...forty?" He replied. "And she knew you wouldn't like it. Your parents would like it even less. Why d'you think she does it?"

"I'm fine, Sammy." Dean said for the third time in just as many minutes. Sam stood back and shoved the tissue he'd been using into his pocket. The bathroom door opened and Isabelle stepped out. She'd put back on the same clothes she'd had the night before, but they looked unkempt and dirty. Her makeup was smudged and had run with tears. Dean still thought she was beautiful. "Izzy..." He started, but never finished the sentence. Sam knew his brother too well to ask if they'd actually done anything, so he took his leave. Isabelle swiftly moved over to Dean once Sam had gone and threw her arms around him. After a momentary hesitation he did the same, holding her close. "Izzy, I'm sorry." He said slowly. She moved away from him, as if it pained her to do so. "Don't be. It's just Alec...I hope he doesn't take it out on you." She smiled sympathetically. "Anyway, I should be going. What is it Hodge said, ten minutes?" She sprang towards him, gave him a lingering kiss, and walked over to the door. "I need to get changed." She winked, then disappeared, her hair flying behind her and curling out of the door, leaving Dean confused and alone.

The main part of the library was full of shelves upon shelves of books, not in any logical order but categorised according to Hodge's own system, that made it so that anyone not totally familiar with the Institute would be totally unable to find anything other than by searching through every book on every shelf. Above the shelves was a smaller balcony that held a few other books along with cases full of various artefacts and objects, amongst which were a pair of simple golden rings. Hodge was sitting at his desk, Dean and Sam already seated on chairs before him. Three other chairs were beside them, but were unoccupied. Dean pulled out his phone and checked the time. The others should've been there three minutes ago. "Do you have any questions?" Hodge asked, more for something to fill the silence than because he actually wanted to tell them anything. The brothers were saved from having to answer as the door opened and Isabelle strode in.

She'd changed, and was now wearing a pair of tight black denim shorts that stopped just at the top of her thighs, black leather boots that came up to her knees, and a top like the one she'd had on previously. Her hair was tied behind her in a bun. She smiled at Dean slightly and sat down next to him. About thirty seconds later Jace and Alec arrived. The latter didn't even look at the others, but Jace at least glanced at them all quickly, before sitting down. "The King Of Hell is sitting in the back of a car just outside our front gates, correct?" Hodge said. Dean snifled a laugh, but it was Sam that replied. "Yes." "And he can't get out?" Sam nodded. "Anyway, it's our turn to ask questions." Dean started. "What were you lot doing there anyway?" Jace laughed slightly. "We were attempting to kidnap Crowley." And he launched into a retelling of the last day's events, from the hunt to the summoning, to the point at which they met. "So you agreed to rescue Crowley so he could tell you whether the Angels had fallen?" Dean asked. Hodge nodded. "Yes, and we still intend to, provided you can't answer the question for us?" Dean then gave his own recollection, of the trials, and of Castiel, and of the falling Angels. "You...you cured a Demon?" Jace asked in disbelief. "Nearly. But it's definitely possible." Dean replied. "Can we bring him in here?" He asked. "Yes. I will set up a pentagram to bind him, you go and get him." Jace, Alec, Isabelle, Sam and Dean filed out of the library. "Which way is out?" Dean asked, prompting a short laugh from Jace. "If we're going out there to get the King of Hell, I'm going armed. Anyone else?" He said. Isabelle agreed, and strode off down the corridor, the others hot on her heels. The weapon room was full of all manner of weapons, swords and knives, to bows and arrows, as well as racks of Seraph blades. Jace took down two seraph blades and tucked them into his belt, as well as a longsword. Alec took a bow and an angel blade, while Isabelle, who still had her electrum whip, took just a seraph blade. Jace took down two other seraph blades and tossed them to Sam and Dean. "Just in case." He winked.

Outside the Institute, nothing had changed. Cars sped past outside, seeing just a broken down old church. Even the Impala had been affected by the glamour, and anyone that happened to look at it saw only a rusted old ruin, just like that of the church. "My car!" Dean cried, running towards it, but he stopped as his vision adjusted, peeling off the layers of the glamour. "Oh." He said quietly. Jace laughed slightly and Sam clapped his brother on the back. The rest of the road was clear, except for three old women sitting on a bench directly across from them. The women looked old and frail, but they also looked identical. They were all wearing dark black coats with hoods that covered their faces, and they didn't seem to be moving.


	4. Chapter 4: Hell Hath No Furies

Chapter Four: Hell Hath No Furies

Still slightly distraught at the way the glamour had affected his car, Dean advanced warily, as if he expected it to suddenly change back. But it didn't. They all gathered around the trunk, arming themselves and preparing for Crowley. Dean opened it, grabbing the King of Hell by the scruff of the neck and dragging him out. Crowley blinked away the sudden burst of daylight, and found himself staring down five named Seraph blades. "Ah." He said. "I trust this is not a social call." Dean responded by punching him in the face. "Moose, restrain your brother." Crowley said, wiping blood from his mouth. Sam opened his mouth to respond, when the three old ladies got up and began walking over to them. The hunters just watched them, Dean keeping a tight grip of Crowley, as they approached and each got down on one knee. "My King." They all said. Dean reacted immediately, but he wasn't nearly fast enough. There was a great burst of fire and a wave of force that sent the hunters sprawling back but left Crowley standing. Once the fire had cleared and the hunters had begun to recover they could see that the old women had changed. Their coats had been cast off and were blowing away like paper in the wind. They had been short, but only because they were hunched under their cloaks; now they had grown, not to any particularly tall height, but they no longer looked as frail as they had. Atop their heads were tiny wisps of grey hair that had blackened at the ends as if it had been singed. What had previously looked like black robes unfolded and spread from the backs until each woman was boasting a huge pair of black, leathery wings, flames licking from the wingtips. Their eyes were solid white, no pupil, no iris, just solid white. And they were armed: each woman held a long whip, made of metal, like the way one would make chainmail armour, and the whips were wreathed in flame -as if they were the Demonic counterparts to Isabelle's electrum whip- and they all had a longsword, curved like scimitars, and ragged edges like they'd been cut in a hurry. "The Furies." Jace said quietly. One of the women -the Furies- cackled mirthlessly. Crowley held out his hands, which were still bound by the Devil's trap handcuffs. "Take these off." He ordered. The left Fury cracked her whip and moved forward, and Jace pounced, stabbing at her with one of his Seraph blades. She fell back, howling, and her sisters advanced too. Jace was alone against the three Demons now, but he held his ground, stabbing out whenever they drew close enough. Isabelle, Alec, Dean and Sam rushed to his aid, arrows whistling from Alec's bow and lodging themselves into the Furies. They howled again, like Coyotes, and cracked their whips, flapping their wings and retreating as snakes of fire lashed across the street. Jace and Dean went after them, stabbing at them mercilessly. One of the Furies snapped her whip and the burning chain struck Dean across the chest. He cried out and fell. Jace, who was already taking on two Furies, had to expand his range to protect Dean from the third.

"Alec, Sam, get Crowley inside!" Isabelle barked. She didn't wait for an answer, but unrolled her own whip and plunged into the fray. She coiled the electrum wire around the arm of a Fury as she raised her sword and pulled, dragging the Demon down, and made to run her through with her Seraph blade. Jace slashed his own Angel blade along the face of a Fury and she fell back, howling and hissing. Jace handed the sword to Dean, who was slowly recovering. Isabelle's Fury rolled away, her wings spraying ash into Izzy's face. Isabelle choked and coughed, but she didn't stop her attack, driving her Seraph blade straight down and catching one of the leathery black wings, anchoring it to the floor. Isabelle flicked her wrist and her whip wrapped itself around the Demon's throat. And then she was knocked down from behind, sent sprawling onto the floor with the Fury. None of them had noticed, but while they'd been fighting the street had filled. Hundreds of people had amassed, all around them. And their leader was tall, topless, and had a hook for a hand. The Demon smirked. The fighting stopped. "Furies! We do not yet have a quarrel with you. Flee, and you will live." It barked. The Fury that had been about to run her sword into Dean narrowed her eyes and walked over to the newcomer. The Demon was taller than her, a lot taller, but the Fury held her ground. "We'll go, Beelzebub. If you let us take the King with us." She said coldly. Her sisters had recovered now, and were flanking her. The Demon, Beelzebub, scowled. "What a shame. Loyalists." He sighed. "Kill them. All of them." He swung his hook forward, aiming to kill the Fury, but she waved her sword and parried his blow. Beelzebub fell to the side, grabbing the Fury by the throat and pulling her with him, as the Demon hordes charged.

Jace barely got a second to glance at Dean before the Demons were upon them. Again Dean saw the ferocious, inhuman speed that Jace could move at as he buried his Seraph blade deep in the chest of one Demon, a portly middle aged woman, and took the head off another with his longsword. But Dean didn't have any marks. He could hold off Demons sure, but this was a full scale battle, and it took all he had just to stay alive. Pulling Ruby's knife from his pocket with one hand while the other drove an Angel blade deep into the mouth of an attacking Demon. Ichor sprayed onto him but he withdrew his sword and ducked as a Demon went flying over his head. Two of the Fury's were overhead, picking up Demons with their whips and tearing them to pieces. It was a minor thought to him at the time, but Dean noticed that where their feet should've been, the Furies had talons, like those of an Eagle, instead. A Demon fist hit him in the stomach. He doubled over, dropping his Seraph blade. The Demon hit him again, both hands on the top of his head. He fell, collapsing hard against the street. He tasted blood. The Demon was over him now, smirking widely. "The great Dean Winchester." It snarled, kicking him. "That was for Lucifer." It kicked him twice more. "That was for Lilith. That was for Azazel." It pulled back its foot and kicked him again, hard metal bootcap meeting muscle. Dean coughed blood onto the concrete. "That was for-" But Dean never heard who he'd just been kicked for, because two things happened at once. First, he sliced upwards with Ruby's knife, right into his attacker's crotch. Then, as the Demon howled in pain, a thin golden string wrapped itself around its throat and pulled the Demon back, right into a waiting Seraph blade. Isabelle pushed the corpse aside and smiled, relieved, at Dean. She pulled him up and hugged him tightly, her heart beating so fast it could've been in a race with his own. "Thank the Angel." She panted, resting her chin in the crook of his neck. He pulled away slightly and kissed her gently and for a few seconds nothing else mattered. Not either faction of Demons, not Alec, not the Angels, just each other. And then it was over as quickly as it had begun. Dean could only gasp as his lips parted from hers and his back arched against the blade that had just entered it.

Alec slammed the heavy wooden doors of the Institute behind him. "We have to get out there! We have to help them!" He said, banging on the doors. "We can't. We've got Crowley remember, both sides out there want him. They won't hurt Jace, Dean or Isabelle if we have him." Sam said. Alec shook his head, then turned and drew a short knife from his belt. He rushed up to Crowley and stuck the blade towards his throat. "Call them off." He snarled. Crowley just smirked. "I can't. Most of them out there want to kill me." He said. "Yeah, well everyone in here wants to kill you too." Alec replied, letting the Demon go and sheathing his knife. "Alec. Let's get him upstairs." Sam said. "Let me help them." "No. You can't." "You've never killed a Demon, have you?" Sam asked, quietly. Alec's face went white. He froze, blank and expressionless. "How do you know?" He said. "Because I have. And if I thought killing Crowley would help save them in any way at all, like you do, I wouldn't have hesitated."

Jace pulled his Seraph blade out of a Demon's shoulder and kicked it away. He swung his longsword with his left hand and sliced another Demon in the stomach. Dean had gone down, he'd seen that much, but a Fury had landed between the two of them and begun cutting apart Demons. "Dammit." Jace growled, pushing his way through the crowds of Demons. He was drenched in ichor as monster after monster fell before his blades. Isabelle slashed about her with her whip and Angel blade, the electrum moving so fast it looked like golden lightning striking at anything that came near. The Furies were strong, they were a special class of Demon, but they were slowly becoming overwhelmed by the sheer crushing numbers. Their whips incinerated anything they came into contact with, reducing Demons and their vessels to ash. One of the Demon-women was still fighting Beelzebub, sword on hook. Her whip had been cast aside somewhere, but she still had her blade. She struck down, but Beelzebub caught the attack with his claw and threw the sword aside, punching the Fury in the chest. She fell back, dropping her sword. Jace was wrenched away from watching that fight as another Demon clattered into him. He plunged both of his swords into it and rushed forward, towards Isabelle. She was covered in sweat and her eyes were flickering, but she kept up the ruthless defence. Eventually he reached Isabelle. "We need to get Dean inside!" She said. Jace nodded. "We can't do this alone." He said. Isabelle looked confused, but also drained and tired. "We can't carry him alone." Jace said. "And the Furies are gonna get killed." One of the Demonic women landed beside Jace. "What do you suggest, Nephillim?" She hissed. "Help us get our friend inside, and we'll help you kill these Demons." Said Jace. The Fury's eyes lit up and she cackled. "Yes." She said, leaned forward, and kissed him. Isabelle's jaw dropped. She rushed forward, stabbing forward with her Seraph blade. But Jace pushed her away, pulling back from the Fury. "It's okay...it's fine." He said, eyeing the Demon carefully. "The deal is done!" She screeched, picking Dean up in her claws, and taking off. Isabelle smirked and threw Jace a look. "Shut up." he said, and they both began pushing towards the Institute. The Fury carrying Dean circled overhead. The others followed her lead, protecting Jace and Izzy as they carved a path.

Sweating like pigs and covered in blood and ichor, they finally reached the doors. Jace put one hand against the heavy wood and spoke to it. "I request entry." He said. The doors swung open with a creak and they rushed inside, followed by the Furies, who quickly swooped down and over the threshold. Jace and Isabelle dragged the doors shut, but not before a single Demon had pushed his way inside. Isabelle took one look at Dean, bleeding and unconscious on the floor, and drove her Seraph blade into the Demon's chest. It gasped and cried out in pain, but she didn't kill it. Instead she flicked her wrist, wrapping her electrum whip around its wrist and yanked forward, pulling the Demon to the floor. She kicked it. She raised her foot back for another kick, but Jace stopped her. "No." He said simply, then drove his own Seraph blade down through its head. The three Furies had changed back into their original forms. "They can't get in?" They all asked as one. Jace shook his head. "Only a Shadowhunter can open the doors." He said. "Come on! We have to get Dean upstairs!" Isabelle cried frantically. Jace leant down and picked the unconscious hunter up and carried him into the elevator, closely followed by the three Furies and Izzy. Jace pushed a button and the elevator rattled into life, sliding upwards for a few minutes until it ground to a halt. The grate slid open and they were met by Church. The shabby grey Persian meowed at them. "Izzy, take the Demons and go to Hodge. I'll take Dean to his room." Jace said. Isabelle looked like she wanted to argue, but she didn't, sighing and following Church as he pawed off down the hall.

"If he was stabbed by a Demonic blade, there is nothing that can save him." Hodge said solemnly. Alec grumbled something that may have been, "good," but no one paid him any attention. "There has to be something?" Isabelle sobbed, her head in her hands. "The Silent Brothers?" Hodge shook his head. "He is not a Shadowhunter, Isabelle. You know the Brothers cannot do anything." He said. Still crying, Isabelle picked herself up and stormed out of the room. Alec made to follow her, but Hodge stopped him. "Let her go Alec. We must decide what to do with Crowley." He said. Crowley laughed slightly. "I am the King of Hell. You don't 'decide' what to do with me." He said. "Oh? Really? Because, right now, it seems like you're our bitch." Sam replied. The Furies hissed and moved toward their king. "No, ladies. Leave them." Crowley said, begrudgingly, knowing Sam was right. "Besides, we might have escaped Beelzebub's Demons, but they're still outside. They can besiege this place forever." He said. "We could call the Enclave?" Alec suggested. "That's a Demon army out there, Alec. The Enclave hasn't fought a battle this big for...generations. We've been too busy hunting small groups of Demons, or dealing with Downworlders. Sam, have you any reinforcements that may be summoned?" Hodge asked, turning his attention to Sam. "I...did." Sam started, his voice cracking slightly. "But...not anymore." He managed to say. His thoughts wandered. Gabriel. Bobby. John. Ellen and Jo. Samuel. Rufus. All gone. "So it's just the two of you?" Alec asked. "No, I mean...not really. I can phone Kevin I suppose, but I don't think he'll be much hope. We're on our own."

Isabelle pushed the door to Dean's bedroom open slowly and stepped inside. He was lying on the bed, still unconscious, blood all over the sheets. Jace was stood beside the bed. "I've done what I can but...he's dying, Izzy." He said. She shook her head. "There has to be something!" She cried, exasperatedly. Jace went over to her and hugged her. "Isn't there anything?" She sobbed. Jace sighed and stood back. He pulled his stele from his pocket. "You realise how much this'll hurt him Iz? You know what he could become if it goes wrong?" He said. She nodded. "Of course." She sniffled between sobs. Jace pulled back the sleeve on Dean's shirt and touched his stele to the flesh, then quickly began drawing a rune. Black lines flowed from the end, forming a swirling pattern. Dean wriggled. Isabelle gasped. Jace finished the rune and moved the stele away. The skin around the rune was reddening, but the cuts and bruises were beginning to seal and fade. The iratze had worked.


End file.
